David M. Childs Receives Inaugural George M. White Award for Excellence in Public Architecture

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July 8, 2012 @ 4:41 PM
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Washington, D.C., October 8, 2012—On Thursday, October 11, 2012, the American Architectural Foundation (AAF) honored David M. Childs, FAIA, as the inaugural recipient of the George M. White Award for Excellence in Public Architecture at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

Childs, chairman emeritus and consulting design partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM)[1], former chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, and a former member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, has a long and distinguished record of work on public architecture projects with substantial impact in both the United States and abroad. Among his many projects that have shaped the public realm are: the Washington Mall Master Plan and Constitution Gardens in Washington, D.C.; Moynihan Station in New York City; the Northeast Corridor Improvement Plan; the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, Canada; the Washington Metropolitan Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington, D.C.; the Robert C. Byrd U.S. Federal Courthouse in Charleston, W. Va.; Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport; and Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

Childs also designed One World Trade Center and Seven World Trade Center for Ground Zero in New York City.

Of Childs’ selection, AAF President and CEO Ronald E. Bogle, Hon. AIA, said, “The selection committee was impressed by the depth and diversity of David’s contributions to the public realm. He has demonstrated time and again his commitment to using architecture and design to improve the quality of life in cities by creating dynamic public places that both inspire citizens and help to foster economic vitality.”

The October 11th program began with remarks from Bogle; the Honorable Sandra Day O’Connor, U.S. Supreme Court justice (ret.); and the Honorable Stephen T. Ayers, FAIA, LEED AP, architect of the Capitol. A panel discussion on urban design and architecture in the public realm and the role of the architect in the design of the city followed, with Childs; Philip Enquist, FAIA, partner in charge of Urban Design and Planning at SOM; and Robert A. Peck, Hon. AIA, director of workplace consulting for the Southeast Region at Gensler.

The award is named for the late George M. White, FAIA, retired architect of the Capitol, who, during his nearly 25-year tenure, oversaw key construction and restoration projects around the nation’s capital.